Turkish passport explained

Date First Issued:	1 June 2010 (1st generation biometric passport) 1 April 2018^[1] (2nd generation biometric passport) 25 August 2022^[2] (3rd generation biometric passport)
Using Jurisdiction:	Ministry of the Interior
Valid Jurisdictions:	All countries
Document Type:	Passport
Purpose:	Identification, international travel
Eligibility:	Turkish citizenship or Northern Cyprus citizenship^[3]
Expiration:	10 years (5 years if under 18 years of age or if is a Turkish Cypriot)
Cost:	₺8623^[4]

Turkish passport (Turkish: Türk pasaportu) are issued in accordance with the Passport Act from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the de facto state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also eligible to apply for a Turkish passport. Passports issued since 1 June 2010 are biometric and valid for up to 10 years.

Types

• Ordinary passport (Turkish: Umuma mahsus pasaport), also referred to as the Maroon Passport (Turkish: Bordo pasaport). It is issued to Turkish citizens who don't qualify for any of the following passport types.
• Special passport (Turkish: Hususi pasaport), also referred to as the Green Passport (Turkish: Yeşil pasaport), allows the bearer to travel visa-free to the European countries (except the UK and Ireland), some 67 countries, including but not limited to Ivory Coast, China, the Philippines and others.^[5] As opposed to the regular passport, it is exempt from the passport fee and is only subject to the booklet fee (₺790).^[4] It is issued to;^[6]
  • First, Second or Third grade public servants.
  • Retired First, Second or Third grade public servants.
  • Non-metropolitan Mayors
  • Academics and lawyers with at least 15 years of experience
  • The spouse of special passport holders
  • Unwed and unemployed children of special passport holders who live with their parents until they turn 25.
• Service passport (Turkish: Hizmet pasaportu), also referred to as the Grey Passport (Turkish: Gri pasaport). It is issued to;^[6]
  • People who do not qualify for the Special or diplomatic passports, however, are assigned to travel abroad for official and/or government related purposes.
  • National athletes
  • Turkish citizens working for international organisations of which Turkey is a member
  • Staff members of the Turkish Red Crescent
  • Employees of the Turkish Aeronautical Association
  • Spouse of the service passport holders
  • Unwed and unemployed children of the service passport holders who live with parents, until they turn 25.
• Diplomatic passport (Turkish: Diplomatik pasaport), also referred to as the Black Passport (Turkish: Siyah pasaport). Diplomatic passports are issued to diplomats, cabinet ministers and other government officials on positions of utmost importance to national security and government function. See below for a complete list of individuals eligible for a diplomatic passport:

Eligible individuals!Title!The nature of importance

The President of Turkey	Executive
Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey	Legislative
Cabinet Ministers	Executive
Constitutional Court members	Judicial
Supreme Court of Appeals members	Judicial
Council of State members	Judicial
Court of Jurisdictional Disputes members	Judicial
Court of Accounts members	Judicial
First Chairperson of the General Staff	Judicial
Second Chairperson of the General Staff	Judicial
Chief Public Prosecutor	Judicial
Full Generals	Military
Admirals	Military
Former Presidents	Executive
Former Speakers of Legislative Assemblies	Legislative
Former Prime Ministers	Executive
Former Foreign Ministers	Diplomatic
Secretary-General of the Presidency	Executive
Undersecretaries of the Prime Ministry and Ministries	Executive
Head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs	Religious
Individuals with the title of Ambassador	Diplomatic
Professional members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Diplomatic
Senior officials of the Presidency General Secretariat sent on official missions	Diplomatic
Advisers appointed at the representations of the Republic of Turkey abroad	Diplomatic
Attachés appointed at the representations of the Republic of Turkey abroad	Diplomatic
Assistants appointed at the representations of the Republic of Turkey abroad	Diplomatic
Individuals sent to conduct international official negotiations on behalf of the Government	Diplomatic
Individuals sent to contract treaties	Diplomatic
Individuals sent to attend international meetings, congresses, and conferences	Diplomatic
Political couriers	Diplomatic

Diplomatic passports can also be issued to the spouses, minor children, or children who are adults but living with them, unmarried, unemployed, and continuing their education until the age of 25, as well as adult children living with them, unmarried, unemployed, and in need of constant care due to at least one of physical, mental, or emotional disabilities as documented by an official health institution report, for as long as the eligibility of the person holding the diplomatic passport continues. Diplomatic passports are not subject to any stamp duty or tax.

Visa requirements map

See main article: Visa requirements for Turkish citizens. As of 2024, Turkish citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 118 countries and territories, ranking the Turkish passport 52nd in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.^[7]

Turkey is the only EU candidate country whose citizens are still required visas for their travels to the European Union member countries. Turkish passport along with Russian passport are the highest ranking passports whose holders are still required visas for their travels to the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

International travel using Turkish identity card

Turkish citizens can also use their identity cards in lieu of a Turkish passport to travel to the following countries under bilateral agreements that have been concluded between the Turkish Government and governments of the respective countries:

Countries	Stay
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Ukraine
Serbia

Biometric passport

See main article: Biometric passport. Turkish biometric passport, compatible with the new ICAO standards, have been available since 1 June 2010.^[8] Application appointments for the new passports can be reserved online through the government's website, applications must be lodged in person.^[9]

Multiple passports

People with valid reasons may be allowed to hold more than one passport. This usually applies to people who travel frequently for business and may need a passport to travel while the other person is waiting for a visa to another country. Some Muslim-majority countries, such as Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen, do not issue visas to visitors who have an Israeli stamp or visa in their passport. In this case, the person can apply for a second passport to avoid travel problems.^[10]

Gallery

Historic passports

Listed chronologically:

See also

• Visa requirements for Turkish citizens
• Visa policy of Turkey
• Turkish identity card
• Turkish nationality law
• Turkish Identification Number
• Passports in Europe
• Passports of European Union candidate states

Notes and References

1. Web site: Council of the European Union - PRADO - TUR-AO-03001. www.consilium.europa.eu.
2. Web site: Yerli ve milli pasaportun üretimi 25 Ağustos'ta başlıyor . 20 August 2022 .
3. Web site: TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ KONSOLOSLUK İŞLEMLERİ .
4. Web site: Başvuru Ücretleri - NVI. randevu.nvi.gov.tr.
5. Web site: T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı'ndan. T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı. 17 July 2017.
6. Web site: 5682 sayılı pasaport kanunundan. From the passport law, numbered 5682. Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi.
7. Web site: Global Passport Ranking .
8. Web site: AB'ye uygun 'çip'li pasaport haziranda geliyor süresi 10 yıla çıkıyor. Uğur. ERGAN/ANKARA. www.hurriyet.com.tr. 7 March 2010.
9. Web site: Atalay: Çipli pasaport başvurusu online olacak. 9 April 2010 . 17 July 2017.
10. Web site: Pasaport Hizmetleri Sıkça Sorulan Sorular .